Lebanese Pilgrim Missing after Deadly Hajj Stampede
A Lebanese pilgrim was reported missing Thursday following one of the worst-ever stampede tragedies at the annual Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which left at least 717 people dead and 863 others injured.
“We were told about four missing pilgrims of whom three have been found unharmed, and search is still underway to locate a fourth pilgrim,” Lebanon's general consul in Jeddah Ziad Atallah announced.
He reassured that he was following up on the issue closely.
Later on Thursday, Atallah announced the death of three Lebanese pilgrims and a Palestinian pilgrim who is a resident of Lebanon, noting that they died of “natural causes” not related to the stampede.
He identified the Lebanese as Hussein Ibrahim al-Ezzi, Ahmed Mohammed Awwad and Sabah Qassem Zein, and the Palestinian refugee as Ali Mohammed Ayyoub.
Atallah had received a phone call from Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, who contacted him after the tragedy to inquire about the situations of the Lebanese pilgrims.
The stampede, the second deadly accident to hit the pilgrims this month following a crane collapse in Mecca, broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual, the Saudi civil defense service said.
The civil defense said that it was still counting the dead, who included pilgrims from different countries.
Nearly two million people from across the globe were attending the hajj, one of the largest annual gatherings in the world.
Iran said at least 43 of its citizens were dead and accused Saudi Arabia of safety errors that caused the accident.
But a Saudi minister blamed the pilgrims themselves, saying they had not followed the rules laid out by authorities.
"Many pilgrims move without respecting the timetables" set for the hajj, Health Minister Khaled al-Falih told El-Ekhbariya television.
"If the pilgrims had followed instructions, this type of accident could have been avoided," he said, vowing a "rapid and transparent" investigation.
Y.R.
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